Reviews of Muchenje Safari Lodge

"Excellent all round experience for our introduction to Africa.

The staff were very friendly and helpful and Sean in particular, was a wonderful host. Our guide Sinka was exceptional and worked extremely hard to find everything that was possible to see.

The only reason for 'good' and not excellent for location, was the long drive into the Park." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana

"This is a very well run lodge in a relatively quiet area overlooking the Chobe river.The area immediately around the lodge had been devastated by elephants so lit ooked somewhat stark ,particularly at this time of year
Rooms were very comfortable but lacked storage space ,which Cathy the manager said was being rectified.Cathy went out of her way and worked very hard to be hospitable and attentive to guests .
This was the only time we had hairdryers and charge points for our batteries so we made full use of them
Food was varied and very tasty
Sinca our guide responded well to our declared interest in more than the big 5 and actively brought to our attention a whole range of wildlife and Botswana culture.He also tactfully managed the fact that the other 2 occupants of our vehicle had no interest whatever in birds or flora.
We had requested ,by email in advance ,to visit the school to take gifts (mentioned on lodge website) and this was arranged -very interesting but not much opportunity to speak with the children or see them in lessons.
One of the highlights was undoubtedly the full day safari with an afternoon boat trip-amazing variety and numbers of game and birds while we moored on sandbank for a picnic lunch surrounded by hippos,elephants ,crocodiles ,puku .Wonderful day. However this involved a long trip on the tar road back towards Kasane and so we wonder how much we benefitted from Muchenji's western location at this time of year which wasn't as busy as it can get in the high season.
We also enjoyed watching activites around the water hole as the bush came to life in the mornings and the night drives (bushbabies leaping and a young leopard with a recent kill)
The fleece lined ponchos were wonderful and we really needed them on cold late June mornings/evenings.
What marred an otherwise good start to the holiday were a number of incidents relating to attitudes to staff and their management. From the start Cathy (very courteous to us) made critical comments about staff failings and inabilty to follow instructions both in front of them and behind their backs .
When we requested a walking safari to be included in our activities Cathy left Sinca to explain it wouldn't be possible and he was clearly embarrassed not to be able to give a reason.
At the end of the second day one of the laundresses came to our room to explain she had damaged a blouse with an iron that was too hot.She was clearly terrified ,had been worried all day and burst int tears when I assured her it was an accident and that I had done something simlar myself. There was no way we were going to mention this to Cathy, but after dinner she raised the matter herself and reiterated how incompetent staff were despite being told how to do things correctly. A positive outcome was that a morning walk could now be arranged for the next day and this we really enjoyed very much.
We regard these incidents as very sad as at all other lodges the atmosphere was one of mutual respect and harmony among staff at all levels.

." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana

"Arrival at Muchenje, after about an hour in the Land Cruiser through bush, was stunning - I had to utter a loud ''Wow''. The Camp overlooking the great flooded Chobe, was so dramatic and beautiful.

A very good Guide in Begosi (BG), with a good sense of humour and clearly loves his job. Very patient and up at all times to show us the maximum. Great Elephant herds and buffalo herds as well as Giraffe and many antelope and birds. We caught a glimpse of lion but they eluded us the second day.

Well run Camp by managers Cathy and Ron.

Would love to return." See all these reviews: 10n in Botswana

"Back to " mass tourism ".

A comfortable place to finish the trip." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia; 5n in Botswana

"We thoroughly enjoyed Muchenje which provided a different environment to Jaci's and our room had magnificent views over The Chobe river.The multitude of Hippos both on land and in the water were spectacular.We also managed to see large numbers of giraffe zebra and elephants and the lovely little Warthogs. We saw lions twice but had to leave them too quickly because the park closed at 19.00 hrs. We feel that it should remain open for a further hour like camps in SA. We felt the food left room for improvement." See all these reviews: 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia; 2n in Namibia

"We only spent one night here, so maybe if we'd spent more time we would have gotten to like Muchenje more. But, we were not that impressed overall.

The camp is on a bluff overlooking a river, which gives you amazing views from both your individual cabin and the common area. When binoculars the game viewing is amazing from the lodge itself! The common area was very airy and attractively decorated. The rooms were pretty basic. They were small, and had poor airflow which was unpleasant on the hot days that we were there.

The food was not good. My wife is a vegetarian, and the camp knew this prior to our arrival, but didn't provide any vegetarian options besides the side dishes.

We ddin't see much on the game drives, but some of the other guests reported spectacular elephant sightings. So, perhaps had we stayed longer or had better luck with our drives we would have enjoyed it more." See all these reviews: 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"N/A" See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"The grading below [Ed: to the right on this page!] I find difficult to honestly answer. Here are my comments: We liked this Lodge a lot. The location is stunning, the view amazing.

The only problem was the size of the main chalet room. There was almost no room to unpack (which I usually like to do at each Lodge). Part of the problem was that two large arm chairs took up a good deal of the floor space, and also cushions from the bed were stored on the floor too, so there was only just room for our cases. The cupboard space was very restricted.

In the bathroom, which was nice, and roomy, the taps did not quite reach over the basin, so there was generally spillage onto the surface. As a result of the cramped space my huband probably left behind rather a vital part of his luggage (a bag containing half his holiday pills!) but later on Grant hleped us buy replacements, and on a Sunday, too.

The only other point was that we had several different guides. Altho we have nothing against this is principle, later in the holiday we realised it is really nice to establish a relationship with just one or two guides, and then they know what you have already been told.

The wildlife experience was superb - leopard, lioness with cubs, wild dog kill, elephants swimming, etc.

PS I would not want these comments to put off other travellers, but they might be useful to the admin." See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana

"Comfortable, nicely decorated if slightly cramped, rooms. Friendly. No mosquitos!" See all these reviews: 11n in Botswana

"The accomodation and location were excellent - the views over the floodplain were stunning, with more animals than you could count.

Whereas our experiences in the Delta were more about tracking and the reward of finding the animals, here at Muchenje the animals were just there, in front of you, wherever you went! Muchenje was an excellent choice as the final camp on our trip.

The all-day safari including the boat trip was a fantastic experience, and JJ's explanations during a game drive made the place come alive. The only thing that would have made the trip better would have been having a single guide for all our activities, enabling us to build up the same kind of rapport as we had with our guides in the Delta camps." See all these reviews: 9n in Botswana